KUALA LUMPUR: If you have lost your identity card, just report accordingly and do not cook up excuses like having been robbed, police say.

Gombak district police chief ACP Zainal Mohamed Mohamed said that so far this year 71 people had been charged with lodging false reports over the loss of their identity card to avoid getting fined by the National Registration Department.

He said the false reports were lodged by individuals aged between 20 and 40.

"Investigations showed that these complainants used false excuses like having fallen prey to robbers and snatch thieves. Court action has been taken against 71 people and two cases are still under investigation," he said.

He was speaking at a media conference after attending a ceremony to dispose of case materials at the Gombak district police headquarters by Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Baharudin Mat Taib here today.

Meanwhile, Baharudin said police had smashed a car theft syndicate with the arrest of 10 people aged between 35 and 62 in Ops Lejang from June 17 to last Wednesday.

"The suspects were nabbed in several locations in Perak, Pahang, Kedah and Johor. With the arrests, we have solved 23 cases - eight in Johor, seven in Selangor, four in Perak, three in Kedah and one in Pahang," he said.

He said the syndicate had been operating for the past two months, targeting luxury vehicles in apartment areas.

-- BERNAMA